The Rise of Beller Ranch
by Vivid Orchid
Summary: Chelsy, Daughter of Finn and Celia, moves to Verdure Island for a more exciting life.  Note: There won't be any Harvest Sprites or Sun stones. Basically everything's completed. Just like AWL,the main focus is simply farming and marriage.


Spring, Year 1

What a warm spring day. Huh, Taro should be here any minute now-Oh, there he is. "Hey, how you doing Miss Chelsy? I was notified of a new rancher this morning." "Ah ha, yeah, that's me." I lean against my new house. Taro looks really wise, it must be the wrinkles. It would be best not to mess with this dude. "You look very young. Why would a young city woman such as yourself want to start a ranch?" Hm, a tough question. "Well, it was about time for me to leave the nest, you know. My mother is very busy raising the younger kids, so I thought starting a farm would give my life some purpose." I blush a bit. I sounded a lot more passionate than I needed to. Taro patted my back. "Sounds good enough to me. You're alright, kid. I'm sure you'll make a great farmer." A group of adults suddenly approach us. "Chelsy, here are some townsfolk I'd like you to meet. We're all pretty close in Verdure and Sprout Island, so don't hesitate to ask any of us for help. Us hard-working class gotta stick together." I suddenly feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "Okay. Thank you,everyone, for welcoming me in. I'll try my best and work hard!" Taro smiled.

"Chelsy, this is Mirabelle. Her shop has everything your animals will need." Mirabelle looks very down-to-earth. She is blond and short and plump. She reminds me a little of my own mother. "Hello, please to you, Mirabelle." I extend my hand. Mirabelle grabbed my hand and firmly shook it. "I have a feeling you'll be a regular customer soon enough!" She said happily. "Mirabelle has a daughter about your age, Chelsy." Taro commented. "I'm sure you and Julia will become great friends." I grin."That's nice to hear. I'm new, so I could use some friends." This has all the adults chuckling. "Oh, Chelsy, this man here is Chen. The only way to get the most perfect crops is to purchase the seeds from his store. That, and tool upgrades and some cooking ingredients. " Taro said. "Welcome, Miss Chelsy." Chen smiles warmly. "You'll often see Chen's little boy outside with Gannon's daughter." Taro motioned to an impossibly large man, I'm guessing is Gannon. I nod my head instead of offering my hand. This guy looks really strong. "Whether you need your house upgraded or a bridge built, I'm your man." He said gruffly. "Okay, thanks." I say. "Well Chelsy, ranchers need their rest, and you're probably tired from the trip; we'll let you go ahead and turn in. You'll have to meet everyone else tomorrow." Taro and the others begin to head back to the bridge. "Okay, thanks again everyone! I look forward to my new life on this island!" I call. When they leave, I do a bit of exploring. I have so much land...soon enough I can fill it with crop fields and a barn. My house is really small, but its no different than my family's pint-sized apartment. I'm used to the limited space..It will be just me anyways..unless I meet someone on these islands...and get married. The idea scares me, but excites me a bit, too. "Just take one step at a time,Chelsy." I remind myself. I get into bed and easily fall asleep.

When I get up, it's around eight o' clock. Everyone must be up by now. This is a very rural area, after all. I get dressed and head out to cross the bridge. Spring's a really nice season. My birthday will be in 2 days. I see a really oriental looking building. It must be Chen's shop. I enter in to say hello. "Good morning, Chelsy. Welcome. Please ask if you need anything." I see a small boy dressed similarly like Chen's attire. "Oh, and this my son, Charlie. He has much to learn, but he can upgrade your tools." Charlie waves. "Hi, lady! " "Haha, what a little cutie. Well, I just wanted to drop by, so I'll see you 2 later." "Have a good day, Chelsy." Chen says. I see a barn-looking building next door, which has to be Mirabelle's shop. "Mornin', Mirabelle!" I greet her cheerfully. Mirabelle is beaming behind the counter. "Good morning to you, Chelsy! Ah, you're just in time, there's a couple of people I want you to meet." Wait, a couple of people? I thought it was just Mirabelle and her daughter..."Chelsy," Mirabelle was gesturing at a pretty girl near the kitchen. She resembled Mirabelle strongly, though she was much taller and adolescently- lovely. "This is my daughter, Julia. She helps out around here." Julia smiled. "My mother has told me about you. It's nice to finally meet you, Chelsy." I shake her hand. "Likewise, Julia." Julia seems very nice, and just like Taro said, I'm sure we'll be friends in no time. "And this handsome young man back here," I turn around to see Mirabelle standing next to a guy sitting on some bails of hay. He looks an awful lot like a cowboy, though his dark hat is obscuring his face. "is Vaughn. He's our animal delivery man." Vaughn adjusts his hat so he can look at me. He has a very cold expression that sends chills down my back. "So you're the new amateur rancher, huh?" I'm a bit shocked that he isn't as warm and welcoming as the other residents I've met. This guy seems to have an invisible dark cloud hovering above him. "Yes..yes, I am." He crosses his arms, as if he's frustrated to be introduced to me. "Well, like Mirabelle said, I'm an animal trader and I come to deliver here every monday and tuesday." Though I'm already annoyed at this guy for his attitude, I can't help but ask, "What about the other 5 days? Do help out here or-" His eyes sternly meet mine again. " I'm not _here_ the other 5 days." He practically spat. Mirabelle tried break the awkward ice. "You see, Chelsy, Vaughn travels a lot, being both a trader and delivery man. He's not very social." Vaughn shot her a dirty look, which Mirabelle pettily waved off with an eye-roll. "Or a people person." Julia joked. Vaughn sighed, his expression not changing at all. Comically, they seemed just like a real family, with Julia and Mirabelle being the daughter and mother, of course, and Vaughn being the antisocial son/brother. "Women." He mutters grumpily. "I'm sorry Chelsy, you'll have to excuse his attitude." Mirabelle says heartily. "Though Vaughn may be a bit rough around the edges, he's got a good chip on his shoulder and he has a big heart deep down." Vaughn blushed a bit. "C-come on now.." I notice his accent is a lot more country than the others. "Yeah, within time, I'm sure you'll grow to love him as much as we do!" Julia chimed. I feel myself blush for some odd reason. Vaughn's face is completely pink as his eyes dart away from me. To avoid anymore teasing for Vaughn, and even potential teasing for me, I walk towards the door and casually say, "Well, I dunno about that, but..uh..I'm always open to new things!" I suddenly regret what I just said. Julia giggles and Mirabelle says "Really, now?" I feel very, very, warm, and not just because I'm halfway outside. "Did you hear that, Vaughn?" Julia called to him. "No!" He said. He stood up and made his way to the back of the shop. "I'm goin' to go check on the animals!" He yelled, slamming the door behind him. "Eh heh, well, I'll see you guys later!" "Bye bye, now!" They said simultaneously. I can't resist letting out a "phew!" after that little episode. But that guy, Vaughn...what a jerk. I'm kinda relieved that he's only here mondays and tuesdays.

I accidently bump into someone trying to enter Mirabelle's. It's a skinny guy, with pinkish-red hair and glasses. I notice he's wearing a work apron. "Oh, excuse me, I was just leaving." He adjusts his glasses. "Oh, Hi. You're Chelsy, right? My grandpa Taro told me there was a new resident in town. I'm Elliot." "Yep, Nice to meet you." I get out of the door way. "So you're Taro's grandson? " Elliot stood outside. "Mmhmm. Me, my mother, and my little sister, Natalie, all live with him over there." Elliot pointed to a house across the road from Chen's shop. "Oh..how nice." I said. "Well, sometimes." He replied indifferently. "Well Chelsy, I'd love to chat more, but Gramps will kill me if I don't get the milk we need-" "Oh right, sorry for holding you up!" He grabbed the door handle. "No worries. See you!" I waved, and decided to head to the diner next to a purple house. I was starving. "I'll have a fruit sandwich, Nick." The girl in front me in line had the same colored-hair as Elliot. Could this be Natalie? "Natalie?" The girl spun around. She didn't wear glasses, but she was cute. She had neat short hair and a similar work apron Elliot wore. "Oh, hey. You must be Chelsy. Um, after Nick's done preparing our breakfasts, let's sit together." "Okay, sounds good." Natalie seems pretty mature for a younger person. "Here ya go, Natalie." The owner named Nick handed her a sandwich, then turned to me. "Hello, what'll you have?" I just now noticed the menu. "Oh goodness, everything looks good. " After a about a minute, I decided."The porridge, I guess. I haven't had porridge since I was a child." Nick took a bowl and headed to the back. "My porridge is excellent. You'll love it." He called. Natalie grabbed a table while Nick brought back my porridge. It was steaming hot and smelled great. As I paid, Nick said "Lucky for you, you got the last bowl. That will upset a certain someone, I'm sure." "Huh?" I wondered. Nick shook his head. "Enjoy, ladies." I grabbed a spoon and sat down next to Natalie. "Who was he talking about?" Natalie took a bite of her sandwich. "Ohh, you'll see. So how have you been, Chelsy? You like it here?" I ate some porridge. It tasted amazing. "It's pretty nice. Everyone's..._mostly_ everyone's very kind. I like the idea of living in a small town." "You don't miss the city?" Natalie asked. "Well I miss my family a little, but the city was no place for me. I wanted to get away from the crowds and the noise and the craziness. Living here, I feel like I can do things at my own pace." Natalie nodded. "Growing up here, that's what I love most about Verdure and Sprout. " I was halfway done with my porridge. "So what do you and your family do?" Natalie rested her chin in her hand. "Well, we ship crops from island to island. Y'know, management bussiness." "Cool." I say. Just then, someone else entered the Diner. And what do you know, It's Vaughn The Jerk. "Morning, Vaughn." Natalie said casually. "Mornin' Natalie." He coughed. "And uh..Chelsy." He glared at me. "Ugh." I grunted. As if Natalie could read my mind, she said "Don't mind him, you get used to it." I turned around in my seat. Vaughn was talking with Nick, then Nick pointed at me, chuckling. "Why is he laughing at me?" Natalie began laughing too. "He's laughing at Vaughn. Chelsy, Vaughn loves porridge, and you just happened to buy the last bowl." I almost spat out the porridge I was eating. "What?" Vaughn ordered hot milk and sat at the table farthest from ours. "Um, I'll be right back. " "Good luck." Natalie said. I picked up my bowl and walked over to Vaughn. He looked up, his permanent glare searing my eyes. "Look Vaughn, I think we got off on the wrong foot, and uh..well, here." I set the bowl in front of him. "I ate about half of it. I feel kind of bad. I know I'd be mad too if someone took away my favorite food from me." Vaughn paused. I decided to use this to my advantage and leave. Natalie gave me a thumbs up and headed for the door. "I gotta get back to work. I'll catch you later, Chelsy!" "Nice meeting you." I went back to get my rucksack, when I heard Vaughn's voice. "Hold on, Chelsy." I picked up my bag and turned around. "Yeah?" He sighed. "You really expect me to eat this porridge?" I feel a bit embarrassed. "Well, I was hoping you'd accept it, as an apology." Even though I believe I did nothing wrong, I don't like getting on people's bad sides. Especially people like Vaughn. He stayed quiet for a minute. "Grab another spoon and sit down. No one needs to apologize." He gave an extremely small half-smile. I got another spoon and sat across from him. I don't think he'd be able to handle it if I sat too close to him. He took the new spoon from my hand and gave me back the one I used. "I don't like takin' what belongs to others, so we might as well share if you want me to eat this." I jumped a bit when our spoons "clinked" together in the bowl. Vaughn withdrew his spoon. "Ladies first." He said straightly. I took my spoonful, then he took his. I laugh, keeping things comfortable and friendly. "It's like you've never shared food with someone before." After about 3 more spoonfuls for each of us, he insisted that I finish the rest. "Well you heard Mirabelle, I'm not social. I work alone and I only depend on myself." Nick swooped by to take away the empty bowl and spoons. "Why? Why are you so solitary and...well-guarded?" Vaughn pulled out a horseshoe-shaped pocket watch and glanced at it, then stood up. "I have my reasons." As I watched him leave, he looked at me over his shoulder. "Thanks for the porridge...well, see ya."

Around noon, I didn't have a lot of people to meet. Between now and after breakfast, I had met Pierre: a chef with a childish face, Lanna: a washed-out pop star, Denny: a cheery fisherman, Gannon's daughter, Eliza (She's pretty conceited for a child..), Sabrina : a very wealthy girl, and her cape-wearing, mustachioed father, Regis. As I headed back home, I bumped into Julia, whom I assumed was taking a little night stroll. "Oh, Chelsy, good evening." " Hello, Julia. Enjoying the night air?" She nodded. "I'm glad I caught you before you went home. Chelsy, I'm having breakfast tomorrow at the cafe with some friends, would you like to join us?" I suddenly felt like a new kid in grade school. I always loved that feeling of acceptance from people my age. "Sure. I just need to pick up some turnip seeds from Chen." "Okay, well we are all meeting at 10:00 am. See you then?" "Okay, see you then. Good night, Julia." Everything is going pretty well for me. I couldn't wait til tomorrow.

The next day, I spent a little more time in front of the mirror than I usually do. I decided to dress down. Now that I'm a country girl with my own lot and farm tools, I might as well look the part. I was definitely more comfortable. After buying 2 pouches of turnip seeds, I walked over to Haila's. It was nice, not too crowded inside. "Chelsy! Over here!" Natalie waved me to their table. "Hi. Good morning, everyone." I sat between Natalie and an empty seat. "Julia's getting us eggs and miso soup. Chelsy, you've met Lanna and Sabrina, right?" "Uh-huh. Hey, guys." Lanna folded her hands in front of her. "Nice of you to join us, Chelsy. We were just talking about marriage..." "And related topics along those lines." Sabrina pushed her glasses up. "Marriage? Really?" I asked as Julia returned with the food. "Of course." They all seemed to answer. I cleared my throat. "I know we're all _considered_ adults, but aren't we a little...young to make that commitment?" I seemed to shock everyone by this. "I suppose we are young, Chelsy, but don't you want to find your true love? I'm sure nobody here wants to end up alone." Julia said. "And I can't count how many times my mom has been bugging me to get married." I was the one who was shocked now. "Things sure are different here. I mean the girls in my city just date and date and date until they find someone they're happy with." This interested Natalie. "And then they marry that someone, right?" I ate some egg. "Well, I suppose, if it works out long enough." Sabrina shook her head. "I can't imagine dating someone without considering them for marriage first." Julia and Natalie agreed. "Oh come on, you guys! People do this all the time. I mean you wouldn't go out and buy a dress without trying some others on first, right?" Everyone but me looked puzzled. "Well, if I were to buy a dress, I wouldn't try on the whole store. I'd find one that I'd like, and _then_ buy it." Julia said. Lanna laughed. "You missed the point, Julia." I think we better convert this issue into the guys." Natalie volunteered. "Yeah, that would probably make more sense." I said. "Alright." Lanna sighed. "Julia, Sabrina, Natalie, take ME for example. I just moved here about 5 years ago, and I've seen plenty of good-looking men on these islands." She smiled. "I think Vaughn is really hot." Sabrina tugged at her collar nervously as Lanna said this. "But Denny probably gets me more. So how do I know which one I'd like to marry? Easy. I go out with Vaughn. If he's more than just a pretty face and a mute voice box, than there will probably be a second date. If not, then I move on to Denny, and try him. Then if he's not right for me either, I find someone else." Julia's jaw was dropped. "I'm sorry, but that's just wrong to me." "Me too." Sabrina pouted. I'm not sure why, since Lanna and I are pretty much on the same team in this conversation, but her statement bothered me a little, too. It seemed like she just used Vaughn..hypothetically, of course. "But honestly, Lanna, who do you like? You've got me curious now." Julia asked. "Well...If I absolutely must choose someone, I'd say Denny. He's a great fisherman and all.." Lanna's cheeks flushed. "But I still think Vaughn is uber dreamy!" I notice Sabrina rolling her eyes. "What about you, Julia? You must think the same, you're around that cowboy a LOT." Julia chuckled. "Vaughn's a bit too...aloof for me. He's just like the brother I never had. I'm also around Elliot a lot..he sure does like our store." "It's not the store he likes." Natalie smirked. Julia instantly covered her cheeks with her hands. "Oh goodness..really?" "Trust me, I can tell." Natalie said. "Well, I know you've got something for Pierre.." Julia countered. "Oh come on! You guys would be at his house everyday too if you knew how great his food is!" I can't help but smile. Her defensiveness reminds me that she still has some growing up to do. "What is he, like ten?" Lanna teased. "He does have a rather youthful appearance.." Sabrina wondered aloud. "Well, we all know who YOU like, Sabrina." Julia said. "W-well, I just think it's odd that Vaughn is..the way he is. If we were ever married..," She blushed while saying this. "I would like to try to mold him into a better person." "But what's wrong with the way he is now?" I piped. Everyone looked at me in awe. I was a little straightforward, I realized. This definitely bothered Sabrina. "Well he's..you know. Harsh. And cold." Sabrina's opinion on him really set me off. Why couldn't she just look deeper into his heart, instead of trying to change him? "Well maybe he has a reason to be that way. Julia, you know what I'm getting at, right? You and Mirabelle both agreed that he's actually quite good deep down." Julia nodded. "She's right. Sabrina I don't think Vaughn needs changing; I think he just needs someone who can understand him." Natalie leaned back in her chair. "You know...I bet Chelsy could get through to him, if she tried." Sabrina violently turned to Natalie. "J-Just What are you saying?" Just then, Lanna came to my rescue. "Come to think of it, we never discussed who **you** were interested in, Chels." Then they all turned to me, warily. I don't blame them. Verdure and Sprout isn't exactly blossoming with a lot of options. I had to be careful not to pick any of the guys that were already spoken of. But...surprisingly, the man I've interacted with, the most, is Vaughn, and I couldn't tell them I had breakfast with the guy! I could just imagine what Sabrina would say...I better just tell them the truth. "Guys, I just moved here yesterday. I can't fall in love that quickly!" They all seemed satisfied that I haven't said anyone. Sabrina is smiling, but I can still see a pinch of suspicion in her eye. "Well, have you seen anyone that you might _like_, Chelsy?" I throw the remains of my breakfast away. "No. I mean, after this conversation, you all have me really thinking of marriage, because running a farm would definitely be easier when I have someone else helping me, but right now, I just want to focus on starting my ranch. But marriage will definitely be in the back of my mind." "Fair enough." Lanna beamed.

"So, Chelsy, why don't you tell us about yourself?" Julia asked casually. "There's not really much to tell. Um, My mother told me my father was a rancher, though he died before I was born. Only my eldest brother, Luke, knew him. After me, my mother eventually remarried and had 5 more children. Though she never wanted to leave Forget-Me-Not Valley, she felt the city would give us a better life. And I do appreciate all that she's done, but the city just wasn't for me." Everyone looked quite interested. Then, Julia's eyes widen. "Wait, did you say your mother and father were from Forget-Me-Not Valley?" She aked eagerly. "Yeah. Why, do you know anyone there?" I asked back. "No, I don't think so. It's just that my cousin, Gwen, often brings horses in from there. She's a bit of an animal trader, like Vaughn." "That's cool. I've never been there, but I'd like to have visit." "Oh, does anyone have the time?" Natalie looked around for a clock. "10:47." Sabrina read from her watch. "Really?" Lanna got up and quickly slurped the rest of her soup. "I have to get fishing before its gets too late! Thanks for the food, Jules!" She dumped her bowl ran out the door. "See you guys!" Natalie followed behind Lanna. "I've gotta get going too. Mother and I are going to pay a visit to the harvest shrine today. Thanks for breakfast, Julia!" Julia and Sabrina waved. "Have a good time." Julia chirped. "Thanks Julia." Sabrina and I said in unison. "No problem. Well girls, I must return to the shop. Have a nice rest of the day." And Julia left. That left me and Sabrina. It was getting a little awkward..I hope she doesn't think I'm after Vaughn or anything. I can't afford to be in a silly love triangle. I've got too much work to do. "Well, umm..I have to get these planted.." I patted my back pocket. "Later, Sabrina." Before I was halfway out the door, she called out my name. I spun around in my tracks. "Uh, yes?" Sabrina walked up to me. Her eyes still full of suspicion on me. "You know...I have a cousin who will be moving down here in a couple of months. I think you'd really like him." She smiled again, though her eyes remained as cautious as ever. "Oh...uhh..sure. It's always nice to meet new people. "Good." She said, as if I gave her the right answer in an academic question.

After leaving the cafe, I saw Taro marching around outside his house. It wouldn't hurt to say hi. "Well, if it isn't Chelsy." "Hey, Taro." I greet him. "My left knuckle's telling me it's going to rain tomorrow." I nod my head. "Really?" For some reason, I get the feeling that he's right. "I never got to ask, Chelsy, what's the name of your ranch?" Oh, that's right. I never got to tell anyone what the name of my ranch was. "Beller. Beller Ranch." I answered proudly. "Beller Ranch? It has a nice ring to it." He joked. "Well it's also my last name." "Ah. Well, don't work too hard." He began marching in the other direction. "You too, Taro. Take it easy, now." Back on my lot, I tilled, sowed, and watered the turnip seeds. It was quite a workout, so I'm secretly thankful that turnips have a fast grow rate. After some dinner, I enter my home. the truth is that I'm pretty worn out. Under my bed lies my suitcase. I haven't brought much although I'm not finished unpacking. As I rummage through some things, I find my stationary pack and a pen. I guess I should write to my mother. She's probably at least a little worried about me, right? It takes me a while to figure out what to write. I'm not particularly best friends with Mom; our relationship was no more than family-necessary. With 5 other children to take care of, I wasn't exactly the center of her attention. Still, I do miss her. As I begin to write, I wonder how fast the mailing is here. Probably not very fast. I've written for about 30 minutes. I suppose my letter turned out alright:

Dear Mom,

How are you? How's the kids? I hope everything is well there. I'm fine. I've met a lot of kind people here. Everyone's real close and more than neighborly. It turns out that the land I bought was a lot more than I expected. I'm actually growing turnips outside my house as I'm writing to you now, haha. Hopefully, if I save up long enough, I can have a barn and chicken coop built. The local girls here my age are very nice. I think I might start having breakfast with them every morning. The men here are quite interesting as well. Perhaps I should start considering marriage once I get my ranch going. I'd love to have you and the family visit for that 3 I know I'm a little young and inexperienced to be doing these things, Mom, but I'm starting to love this lifestyle. Perhaps I'm like Luke; I just get it from Dad.

Sincerely with love,

Chelsy

p.s. Mom, you were raised on a crop farm. Do you have any tips for me?

I'm not sure what to do with my letter after writing it. I saw a mailbox outside, but..no one ever said anything about a mailman...or a post office. Oh well, I'll just ask Taro about it tomorrow. I get into bed and turn off the light. As I close my eyes, I can hear distant howling. It's kind of beautiful..Then next day, I get dressed and head out around 6:00 am. I remembered to bring my letter with me. It's Wednesday..and Vaughn's not here. He won't be until next week..suddenly, I slap myself. Why do I care? Well...I can't bring myself to completely hate him. He was rather polite to me the other day at the diner. Vaughn...Vaughn..why is he such a loner? I wonder if he has any friends..I have never been around someone so broody since high school. I think, maybe..I could be his friend. No one wants to be alone **all the time**, right? Yeah, I think I'll do it. I'll be his friend. After watering the last of the seeds, I sprint over to Taro's. He happened to be walking around outside again. "Taro, good morning. Umm.." I pull out my folded-up letter. "I'd like to mail this..are there any mailmen or post offices around?" He sighed heavily. "No, I'm afraid not. But if you give that to Vaughn, I'm pretty sure he can take it to one of the islands with a post office." "Vaughn?" Wasn't he supposed to be leaving today? "Yep. I saw him leave not too long ago before you got here. If you run, I'm sure you can catch him before he leaves. " "Great." I said. "Where does he..?" "Oh!" Taro realized. "The pier by the ocean in Sprout! Hurry!" I started running. "Thanks!" I yelled over my shoulder.

When I got there, there was a big boat docking, and I could see Vaughn with a few bags. He was at the very end of the pier. "Vaughn! Vaughn! Wait!" I called. When running from the shore to the wooden pier, I somehow managed to lose my footing, and stumbled forward. I kept running. "Mornin', sir! Come on board!" I heard the captain say from the boat. "Hold on!" I screamed. Vaughn turned his head into my direction. "Chelsy?" He looked mortified. I tried to stop running after I was close enough, but my feet wouldn't stop! I crashed into Vaughn, and I fell over on top of him with a loud thud. Luckily none of his bags fell into the water, but he held on to his hat before we fell. I instantly Stood and pulled him up to his feet. He dusted off his vest and collected his bags. "What in the _hemp fever _is your problem?" He yelled. "Ouch.." I mumbled. I skinned my knee. " Sorry!" I said defensively. "You better be! Watch where you're going!" He barked. "Sorry!" I yelled impatiently. "Vaughn, I was hoping to catch you before you leaved. I thought you could do me a small favor and mail this for me." I pulled out the letter from my back pocket. Vaughn gave me an irritated look. A look that said "Why should I?" I ignored it. "Please? It's for my family.." I looked at him hopefully. He crossed his arms. "Pleeeaase?" I batted my eyelashes humorously. He sighed, then hesitantly took the letter, and waved it in front of my face. "You_ do_ know this ain't got an envelope, right?" I blinked a few times. Of course he was speaking the truth, but I'd written my mother's name and the address on one of the outside corners . Before I could say anything, he dropped it into the inside of his breast pocket. "I'll take care of it." He said in defeat. "Can I go now?" He asked, a little annoyed. "Yeah. Thanks, Vaughn!" He threw his bags in the boat and climbed in. "Don't mention it."

I stayed until the boat began to pick up some speed. Vaughn's eyes met mine. I grinned. "I'll see you next week!" I waved. Vaughn flushed a bit, then scooted down into his seat. I couldn't help but laugh. He definitely wasn't going to look at me again now that I embarrassed him like that. I heard a low grumble coming from my stomach. "Breakfast." I said to myself.

When I reached Haila's, I ordered a few toasted rice balls and sat with the girls. "Where's Natalie?" I asked when I noticed her seat was empty. "She had to help out around the house today." Julia said rather sympathetically. Lanna was poking at her food. "I think I caught this today!" She exclaimed happily. Her comment made us all laugh, except Sabrina. She was looking at little down. "You know Chelsy, we were expecting you to show up here a little sooner. Were you busy this morning?" I nodded my head. I had taken a behemoth-sized bite of my rice ball. I quickly swallowed. "Just some errands?" "Like watering the turnips?" Sabrina asked, almost-innocently. "That, and mailing my letter." I stopped chewing. "You mailed a letter?" Julia looked puzzled. "How did you do that?" "Yeah, how did you do that? These islands don't have a mailing system, believe me. I haven't gotten fan mail in years." Lanna said. "That's because you were a one-hit wonder, Lanna." Julia teased laughed. "Hey!" Lanna barked. "But seriously, Chelsy. How did you?" I gulped. "Well, uh..I spoke to Vaughn.." I glanced quickly at Sabrina, who looked absolutely appalled. "And..uh, he said he would mail it for me!" I said as quickly as possible. Julia looked shocked. "He's actually doing you a favor?" She burst out. "Not that there's anything wrong with you, it's just that...I can't believe he would do something for someone else." Lanna sipped from her water. "Why are you so surprised? He does things for you and Mirabelle all the time!" Julia smacked Lanna on the back of the head. "That's 'cause he works for us, Dummy!" Lanna shrugged. "Well, I _did_ ask him nicely. You guys don't give him enough credit. He's alright if you give him a chance." I said matter-of-factly. Sabrina suddenly stood from her chair, startling us a bit. "I-I um..I just remembered..my father wanted to discuss business ventures with me! Goodbye!" We watched as she awkwardly left. Sabrina could not get out of here fast enough. "What's her problem?" Lanna was oblivious. I sighed. "I don't have any intention of taking Vaughn away from her, or whatever." I said directly. "Well, technically Vaughn was never ** hers."** Lanna pointed out. "Don't worry about Sabrina, Chelsy. She's just a little fragile. You have no right to feel guilty." Julia said in a comforting way."I just figured the guy could use a friend." I answered jokingly. "Then go for it, Chelsy! Become his friend!" Lanna smiled. I through my plate away. " You know what? I will. We'll be super best friends!" I squealed. Julia and Lanna giggled. "See you guys."

Soon enough, around lunchtime, I began to feel frustrated. I had greeted and chatted with every single person (excluding Sabrina. I figured I'm the last person she wants to see right now..and her father. I heard he was off on some volcano island) on Verdure and Sprout. So what now? Then out of the corner of my eye, I see Denny sitting on the pier with a fishing rod. Fishing! I could go fishing. That would help bring in some cash too..to Gannon's shop I go.

When I enter, I see Gannon standing behind the counter. He has a straight face on. His daughter Eliza is sitting against the wall, brushing her hair happily. "Afternoon, Gannon. Hey, Eliza." "Afternoon." He said. "Hello, Chelsy. Don't I look pretty today?" I wasn't lying when I said she was conceited. "Yes, Eliza. Very pretty." I smiled. "You're pretty too, Chelsy. Although you would be even more pretty if you wore more feminine clothing." She said, narrowing her eyes at my red bandana over my head. I just couldn't retaliate. She's a little girl, so I'll be patient with her. "Heh heh, thanks Eliza. I'll put that into consideration." She smiled again sweetly and began brushing her hair once more. I could hear her counting how many times she brushed under her breath. "What can I help you with today?" Gannon asked as I approached the counter. "I would like to purchase a fishing rod." I said. Hopefully I had enough money. I had to quit my waitressing job in the city, and I gave half of my final paycheck to my family. And after using most of that and my life saving's to move here and buy my lot and home, that didn't leave me with much spending money. "Five thousand." ...I literally twitched. "F-Five thousand?" I said rather loudly. "Sorry Chelsy. I only order the highest quality of merchandise for my store." I get it. Since everything is top-quality, he _has_ to have high prices. "It's alright. I'll come back in a few weeks. " I practically left with my tail between my legs. Welcome to the hardships of farm life, Chelsy..I quickly forgot of what happened at Gannon's store. In a matter of days, my turnips have grown quite lovely. I almost felt bad for picking and shipping them. I soon planted more though after the fortune I had made off my first turnips. It's funny how Spring rolls by fast. I had attended the sheep, horse and crop festival. (My turnip won 2nd place.) As for my progress with befriending the lone cowboy, well, it's definitely a challenge. I'm making it work. I'm sure he'll thank me in the long run.


End file.
